Conveyors for moving particulate material, such as stone, sand, or gravel, are well known. One particular mobile application where a conveyor is used to convey particulate material is a specialized vehicle known as a stone spreader. A stone spreader vehicle is used to deliver particulate material to a job site for distribution to specific locations remote from the vehicle by means of a conveyor, which is an integral part of the vehicle. The conveyor enables the particulate material to be directed and thrown to a desired location. The use of a control apparatus in combination with the conveyor can significantly increase the throwing distance of particulate material, which has led to their adoption for use with most stone spreader vehicles.
A control apparatus, such as a Super-Shield™ assembly, facilitates the control of the particulate material on the conveyor. Exemplary control apparatuses are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,341,076 B1, 6,615,976 B2, and 6,695,125 B1 by the present inventor. Despite the control apparatus' effectiveness in facilitating the control of particulate material on the conveyor belt, performance may be improved in two respects.
Firstly, the intake of the control apparatus may be improved so as to reduce bouncing, jittering, and vibration of the control apparatus as a result of the variable particle size of the particulate material moving on the conveyor. Secondly, the outlet of the control apparatus may be improved so as to reduce disturbance of the particulate material moving on the conveyor as it is released from the control apparatus.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve the performance and efficiency of control apparatuses.